Love, Loneliness and Fear
by Kristen3
Summary: Sequel/companion to "Waiting" by crazysockmonkeys. When Niles sees how much Daphne is hurting, he knows he has to help. But will he find the words to mend her broken heart? One-shot.


**Author's Note:** Many thanks to Aria ( **crazysockmonkeys** ) for writing "Waiting" and allowing me to continue it here. It just felt like there was something (or rather _someone_ ) missing from the story, so I came up with this. Just a bit of fluff that I hope lives up to her amazing work!

Niles was glad to be here, away from his wife and her angry words. After yet _another_ argument, Maris had fled to Europe. He'd lost count of how many trips she'd taken in the last few months. She'd probably set a record for having the most frequent-flier miles ever.

His father's voice pulled Niles from his thoughts. "I know, it's hard when you're on the outs with your spouse. Why, I remember when your mother and I -"

But Niles was no longer listening, for an angel had just come into the cafe. Daphne slowly walked to the counter, stopping partway to blow her nose. It was all too clear that something was amiss. "What's wrong with Daphne?"

Martin looked over at her, remembering the conversation he'd had with her yesterday morning. "Oh. She's been kind of...lonely. Thinks she'll never find her soulmate."

"Well, perhaps she just hasn't been looking hard enough," Niles said, standing up.

"Son..." Martin started to talk sense into his younger son. Where Daphne was concerned, Niles was sure to make a fool of himself. But then he looked over at Daphne. She looked sadder than Martin had ever seen her. Who was to say Niles _wasn't_ the cure for her problem? "Actually, son, good luck. You might be just what she needs."

"Thanks," Niles said, gathering his courage. He walked over to where she stood, still fighting tears. "Daphne?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She turned, surprised to see him. "Oh. I didn't realize you were here. I just came into get some beans for your brother. You know how he is if he doesn't get his precious coffee. Why he can't just come here and get it, I'll never know."

Niles could tell she was about to go off on one of her long-winded rants about her boss. "Is...is something wrong?"

Daphne knew there was no point in lying to him. Dr. Crane could always tell when something bothered her. "Well, yes, but I don't want to take up your time with me problems. You came here to chat with your father." She nodded to where Mr. Crane sat, watching them.

"I always have time for you," Niles said, looking into her eyes.

"All right, then, if you insist." Daphne took a seat at the nearest table, in the middle of the room. She hoped Mr. Crane's table, way in the back, was far enough away that he couldn't overhear.

Niles immediately sat across from her. He could feel his heart pounding; his angel wanted to confide in him. His senses went on high alert. He would not miss a word she said.

"It's about me life. I love working for your father and your brother. I do. But it's me life. I spend all me time with your father. When I do go out, it always ends in disappointment. I'm not getting any younger. Is there someone out there for me?"

"Yes," Niles said at once.

Daphne looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to answer so quickly.

"Maybe you just haven't been looking hard enough." Niles reached out and took her hand. It felt unbelievably soft and warm. "Love is a funny thing. It can be right under your nose, and you might not even know it."

Now Daphne's surprise turned to shock. "Dr. Crane, what are you saying?"

"Daphne, I know what it's like to lose hope. To think that your life can't get better, and you're stuck in a dark place with no way out. I was right there not so long ago."

"You were?" Daphne asked, wondering how she could've not known about this. Sure, he was hurting from his separation, but she didn't think that was what he referred to.

Niles nodded. "It hurts. I know it does," he said. "But then, one day, something happened that changed all that."

"What was it?" Daphne asked, now intrigued.

With a smile, Niles answered, "I walked into my brother's apartment and saw an angel there, doing laundry. From that moment, I knew there was a way out of the pit I was in."

Daphne could hardly believe her ears. The woman he was describing was her; it had to be. But an angel? That was an exaggeration, to say the least. "Me?!"

"Yes, Daphne. From the moment I saw you, I felt something. It was a spark. I've kept silent about this for a long time, because I was scared of rejection. Maris' insults have left me feeling vulnerable. I've been afraid to reach out. But now that I see you, hurting so much, well, I decided that was more important than my fear."

"You've felt this way all this time?" Daphne asked, still making sense of it. "How can that be?"

"I don't know," Niles said honestly. "I've tried to figure it out. Both Dad and Frasier have tried to convince me this is just a crush. But it's not. I know because it hasn't gone away. A crush can be forgotten, love can't. I can't promise you that I'm the man you've been looking for, but I think it's a definite possibility. Don't you think that's worth exploring?"

Daphne's heart pounded. Was it really possible that just days ago, Daphne had had the worst date of her life, and now a sweet, handsome man was offering her his heart? It still didn't make much sense. What could he possibly see in her? But Daphne thought about Dr. Crane. He'd never lied to her or tried to hurt her feelings. If he was saying these things, it was because he felt them. The idea of going forward with this scared her. But she knew if she never took the chance, she'd never know what might happen. "Yes," she finally said. "I think so." She found herself smiling. All of the sad, lonely places inside her were gone. There was only a beautiful feeling of happiness there.

Martin knew he had no business spying on them, but he felt the need to help if Niles failed yet again. He sipped his coffee, suddenly feeling proud of his son. _It's just like I said_ , he thought. _There is someone for all of us. All you need to do is look_.

 **The End**


End file.
